Tag: cashback credit card

When and How to dispute a Credit Card transaction ?

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Credit Card transactions may be disputed due to reasons such as inaccurate or excessive charge, billing error, fraudulent transaction or even a quality complaint on goods purchased. Banks allow customers to dispute credit card transactions either by a click of a button online or by filling up a form post speaking with a customer service officer.

It is important to note that the process of dispute normally involves a detailed investigation from the bank. One must make sure there is a valid reason before a transaction is disputed.

There are quite a few parties involved in a credit card transaction. Customer, Card Issuer ( Bank which issues the card), Merchant ( Establishment where the goods or service was purchased), Merchant bank ( the bank which the merchant uses to process these transactions), Association ( Mastercard, Visa etc., who are payment networks) and finally the Law.

In general credit card disputes fall under one of the below categories:

  1. Fraudulent transaction
  2. Inaccurate transaction amount
  3. Customer Complaint pertaining to the goods or service.

The later two categories may require a dispute to be raised within 60 days of the transaction.

Let us look at what you need to do in case of any of the above scenarios.

Fraudulent Transaction

Credit card fraud is unfortunately a reality. Banks spend millions of dollars in strengthening anti-fraud mechanisms and systems, however fraud still happens. There are several types of credit card fraud and these can be disputed by directly contacting the banks. Few things to do when you realize that there are credit card transactions on your statement or your alerts which you are unable to verify:

  1. Do not panic.
  2. Check with your family members or your supplementary credit card holders if anyone made these transactions.
  3. Try calling the merchant to check if the transaction is genuine. Do discuss with the merchant and ensure that the transaction does not pertain to you before you move further.
  4. Once you are sure that these transactions are not made by you, contact your card issuer / bank’s customer service team and report the issue and block the card. Note- most of the banks have a direct channel on the IVR (Interactive Voice Recognition) to report your card lost. You will be directed to a customer service officer instantly.
  5. Banks generally block the suspected compromised cards to ensure that there are no fraudulent transactions.
  6. You might be transferred to a specific trained Anti-Fraud management unit who will gather specifics from you and advice on the course of action.

 

Billing Error or Inaccurate Transaction

Charges which are inaccurate (excessive or incorrect) can be disputed by directly calling your credit card issuer. There are dispute forms which are required to be filled in on such scenarios. Banks are liable to keep the customer posted periodically on the status of the dispute investigation till closure.

Based on the type of transaction banks may offer temporary credit back to your credit card and once the dispute is resolved, the credit would be adjusted accordingly. In most of the scenarios, the card issuer is liable to resolve the issue within two billing cycles. However, note that the banks may take up to 180 days for a resolution.

Irrespective of the dispute being active or closed, one should continue making payment dues on your credit card during this period in order to avoid any negative credit bureau reporting. If the dispute is in your favour, banks will credit back the disputed amount.

Dissatisfied service or a related customer complaint

There are instances when a specific service or product that you purchased is not as per the sale commitment causing dissatisfaction to the consumer. These transactions can be disputed with the issuer. Below are the steps to follow on such instances:

  1. Always ensure that the first step is to reach out to the merchant and ask for a refund based on the dissonance caused. In quite a few situations, merchants do provide a refund or would be able to clarify the purchase clauses etc., You may want to document an email or a letter to the merchant on the dissatisfaction documenting the actual concern.
  2. If step one is failed and you failed to receive assistance from the merchant, contact your card issuer and request for a dispute to be raised for the transaction. Please ensure you have the following documentation handy: Original Invoice copies; Charge slips and the complaint letter.
  3. You may be required to fill in dispute forms as per the banks policies. Most of the banks have the forms available online which you can download and send to them.
  4. Do not delay any payments on your credit card while the dispute is in process. This will ensure that your credit bureau history is not affected adversely.

 

Soulwallet is a personal finance aggregator in the UAE. Soulwallet has analysed various credit card features and rated them based on an apple to apple comparison. For more details visit us on www.Soulwallet.com.

 

5 Smart ways to make your credit card work for you

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UAE certainly has the highest credit card, internet and e-commerce penetration in the MENA region. However, a significant percentage of transactions are still made through cash. Visa and Mastercards are popular and are widely accepted by merchants in the region.

There have been several changes in recent years, which are moving the needle on credit card usage in the market. Some customers would have witnessed their credit cards being reissued by the issuers with a chip around 2016/17. This was due to a mandate from the Central bank of UAE for the issuers to comply with EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa global standard for chip-secured credit cards) standards a few years ago.

Credit cards are extremely convenient, secure and what’s more also reward cardholders on usage as well. There are more than 200 credit cards issued by banks and financial institutions in the UAE. While the number of banks is shrinking with the recent M&A announcements, there are several new credit cards which keep popping up with innovative and irresistible offers to the customer.

Many of us would have had a difficult experience with our first credit card. Not understanding differences between a credit or debit card, we would likely have dashed to the nearest ATM to withdraw some cash and spend on stuff which we really did not have any plans of buying. A scenario which would most likely have ended finally with some sort of settlement with the bank after weeks and perhaps months of painful collections calls and negotiations.

As we got a little more aware of how credit cards work, we generally end up with one or two cards (ideally issued to us by the banks where our salary gets credited) and have built some sort of loyalty to these cards over the years.

This article gives a credit card user 5 useful tips on how to use a credit card and maximize savings. These are simple and proven steps which can help one save thousands of dirhams:

  1. No one Credit Card is best suited for everyone

Credit cards are diverse in their offerings. One must understand that 200+ credit cards in the market come with several differences. Some of them being:

Fees and Charges: Annual Fees, Interest rates, International transaction charges, cash advance charges and so on.

Reward Features: Cashback, Airmiles, Reward Points, No Rewards no fee, Reward earn rates, Redemption or burn rate etc., Note- The value of the rewards might vary based on spend amounts, type, location etc.,

Features: Airport Lounge, Free Cinema, Complimentary Golf, Valet Offers etc.,

 

Apart from the above there are also credit limits, co brands (Skywards, Etihad and so on) etc., which differentiate cards.

With so many differences among them it is important to spend a few minutes to compare the features and identify the most suitable credit card for your specific needs.

Soulwallet’s  “Best Fit”  comparison tool uses smart algorithms that can match one’s individual spend pattern and feature preferences with the most suitable credit cards among all options available.

One will also get a good indication of annual saves in dirhams earned through credit card rewards. Do check how your current credit cards stack up against the ones which are best for you. Click here to find out.

Also, do look at the feature wise rankings to find out which is the best card for your favourite credit card feature (Cinema, Golf etc.,)

 

  1. No one Credit Card can give you the best value

Why do banks have multiple credit cards under their offering? These are typically to cater to different segments of customers who are keen on a specific feature or a reward program. Cashback and Airmiles are couple of popular reward categories.

After evaluating credit cards in the UAE and the reward offering across their products, it is quite evident that there is no one card which may fit in the best for you. In order to optimize your savings (reward value for the transactions you make on the credit card), you probably might have to keep 2 or 3 credit cards in your wallet which satisfy all your requirements with a high rating.

For example, John travels frequently. He spends his weekends generally watching movies with his wife and two school going children. The best option for John is to look at the below combinations:

Credit cards that:

  • Reward him with maximum reward rates for a) School Fees b) Grocery expenses c) Travel spends
  • Includes complimentary features such as a) Cinema Offer b) Airport Lounge c) Airport Transfer
  • Has low international (foreign currency) transaction charges.

The answer might be more than 1 card and if the saves are significant, why not?

 

  1. Pay on time and if possible, in full

Making payments on time is probably the most important criteria which helps build one’s credit score. Having a healthy credit score means keeping your credit options available. There is always going to be a need for some sort of credit requirement, for example a home loan, salary transfer loan and so on. Find out more on Credit scores in the UAE.

Making your credit card payments on time is extremely critical and if possible, try to make them in full. This means one would save money on interest which can be in thousands of dirhams.

Most banks have options such as Standing Instructions (from your bank account to your credit card if both are with the same bank), Direct Debit (a standard transfer instruction on your bank account), exchange house payments etc. One has an option of setting this up for a minimum payment or full and sometimes a fixed recurring amount as well. Enquire with your bank and set up a payment instruction which will ensure you don’t miss a payment date.

Regular payments build one’s credit history well and allows banks to re-underwrite your credit lines periodically and automatically.

 

  1. Balance Transfer – If you are incurring interest by not paying your credit card dues in full each month

Balance transfer in simple terms is moving debt from one credit card to another. If you are not paying the total outstanding and incurring interest on your statement balance, a balance transfer is a smart and easy method to save money on interest.

Balance transfers normally come with an interest free offer period. This is a no brainer – it can help you save interest that you would otherwise end up paying on your current card for 3 to 12 months (and more in most cases), depending on the balance transfer offer period.

Example: If a cardholder has an AED 5,000 balance on a credit card with a 20% interest rate. Such a balance would incur an interest of approximately AED 1,000 in a year. By transferring his credit card balance the card holder can save on the AED1,000 of interest with only a small balance transfer fee instead.

Note:

  • Balance transfer does not earn you rewards on transferred debt.
  • Once you have transferred your balance to a low interest card, do review the need of continuing to keep the high interest credit card active. Any unnecessary spend on this open credit card can delay your payoff on the new card.
  • Defaulting on the new credit card might trigger standard or higher interest rate as per banks policies.
  • Before you make the balance transfer move, do the math to ensure that you end up saving. Points to consider are Annual fees, Interest rates etc.,

 

  1. Change with the industry- Adapt to smarter payment methods

In recent years, banks have evolved and are continuously evolving in the digital space to stay updated and relevant to the future customers. Smart payment methods have gained a lot of momentum and acceptance among UAE consumers.  Apple pay, Samsung pay are already common names and are quite popular.

These smart payments make the process seamless and are focused primarily on convenience and security.  While Apple and Samsung are already building the culture of adapting and shifting to newer technologies in the mobile space, one must be more adaptive and embrace future technologies to leverage upon the benefits available.

 

Takeaway

Credit cards are convenient and a popular payment method for purchasing products or services. While it is quite a privilege to flash a prestigious credit card from your wallet for a purchase, it is important to make sure that the credit card works best for you..

As a personal finance aggregator Soulwallet has analysed various credit card features and rated them to identify the best credit cards for each feature.. Be it golf offers, complimentary airport transfers, valet services or even cinema offers, one can easily find the best credit cards with the ratings provided. For more details visit us www.Soulwallet.com.

 

How to get the best dining deals out of cashback credit cards?

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The more you spend, the more you save! Unbelievable yet holds true and here is how you do that if you are smart enough. Enter Cashback.

Cashback is an offering from Credit Card companies that rewards you instantly for making purchases.

How does it work?

Cashback credit cards benefit the user by paying a percentage of the purchase you make. Not just purchases, using them in your favorite hotels, restaurants or any other experience centers in UAE can also save you some dirhams. So, the next time, you are swiping your card in a restaurant or purchasing the latest mobile phone, look out for the exciting cashback offers and maximize it.

Lookout before you Swipe!

Though it is exciting and absolutely fantastic to get some hard earned money back do note a few pointers that needs a closer look before you swipe.

Like any credit card, these credit cards are entitled with pre-determined limits which many people fail to notice. It is for the simple fact that these are in fine print and easy to ignore or miss out.

If you are a frequent visitor to restaurants, here are some credit cards that offer the best dining deals which could save you from spending more.

Citi Cashback Card:

With a minimum salary of AED 8000, you can avail this card which can provide a lot of cashback benefits while dining at your favorite restaurants. You can enjoy up to 20% discount at over 400+ dining outlets in the UAE. The redemption is automatic as well. No calls, no emails!

Dunia Finance Platinum Credit Card:

The minimum salary requirement is the same as that of the Citi Cashback Card. But Dunia finance offers free Zomato Gold Annual Membership when you opt for this credit card. It also offers hundreds of Buy 1 Get 1 (BOGO) offers from MasterCard throughout the Middle East and Africa.

Najm One Cashback Card:

This cash back credit card from Majid Al Futtaim Finance offers a lot of discounts on dining and entertainment. With this card, you can avail up to 30% discount at selected restaurants. They also make payments easy by providing card-less solutions i.e., Samsung pay.

CBD Visa Infinity Card:

The Commercial Bank of Dubai offers great deals on dining with this visa card. It has great dining privileges which include Dragon Pass, the World’s 1st all-in-one Digital Airport platform which lets people enjoy food at restaurants within the Airport. In addition to this, dining discounts in Premium Hotels in UAE can also be availed with this card.

Standard Chartered Platinum Credit Card:

The Platinum credit card from Standard Chartered lets people enjoy a wide variety of offers that includes offers up to 50% in popular cafes and restaurants. To be even more specific, it offers a Buy 1 Get 1 offer (BOGO) at all outlets of Costa Coffee.